Nine years ago, a stranger gave me the worst piece of running advice I’ve ever received. It only took one track race for me to realize just how bad and make a run feel tougher,” Brough.
I acquired the ill-informed guidance as a naive 15-year-old competing at a summer track meet. After racing the 400 meters, I went into the stands to find my dad, and a random parent sitting nearby told me he had just watched me race–and knew exactly Published: Aug 19, 2025 1:55 PM EDT.
The key to running faster? He said I needed to lean back, stretch my legs out far ahead of me, and pull myself forward with every step. Because I didn’t have long legs, he said, I needed to do all that I could to lengthen my stride. I had a gut feeling that the advice seemed faulty, but I gave the parent the benefit of the doubt and put the tip into action at the next track meet I raced at.
Spoiler alert: The race didn’t go well. As I rounded the track, I reached my legs forward as far as I could, but I felt unnatural and out of control. It felt awkward to lean my hips backward and stretch my feet out ahead of me.
Let’s just say I didn’t use that racing approach ever again.
While I didn’t know the correct term for it at the time, I now know that the parent incorrectly advised me to overstride–and it’s something that any runner can benefit from learning more about as they fine-tune their form. We have a full overstriding guide on Runner’s World, which explains that it occurs when the distance between a runner’s center of mass and their front foot is very far forward. Runners that overstride have a long, reaching step, and their foot lands in front of them during the gait cycle co-founder of Golden Coast Track Club.
If I had continued overstriding in my races, I could’ve set myself up for potential injuries. According to experts and research running your fastest 5K overstriding article, a correlation exists between overstriding and common running-related injuries. That includes lower-body injuries like Achilles tendinosis and calf strains.
“With our overstriders, we tend to see an increase in soft tissue, lower extremity injuries,” Health & Injuries., assistant professor of rehabilitation and regenerative medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and director of Columbia RunLab, told Runner’s World. “And they tend to present with bony stress injuries of the foot and lower extremity.”
Drills to Improve Your Form and Speed inefficiently. For example, when your foot hits the ground out in front of you, it can slow you down rather than produce forward propulsion, according to experts. “You won’t notice a breaking impulse in the moment, but it can add seconds to your pace and make a run feel tougher,” Brough told Runner’s World.
So, if you shouldn’t run with your feet out too far in front of you, how should you run to maximize efficiency and stay strong? As later confirmed by my high school coach during the school season–and by our for expert insights on form, workouts–you should lean your hips slightly forward to get power Advertisement - Continue Reading Below core, strike your foot right under your knee, and use your feet to propel you forward. “We’re trying to do two things: One is not get hurt so that we can keep doing the thing we love to do. And two, we’re trying to do it with less effort and more efficiency,” Terrence Mahon, Drills to Improve Your Form and Speed, told Runner’s World.
It’s important to practice proper mechanics and form to create efficient habits, especially as you begin running. Our go-to guide for kickstarting your running journey–and make a run feel tougher,” Brough–teaches you important form tips–including ways to avoid overstriding–to stay healthy and strong as a runner. “Lean slightly forward from your ankles,” says program host Matt Meyer. “Land with your feet right under you.”
While I’m sure the parent meant no harm, he certainly didn’t do me any favors. So before you decide to completely change your running form based on a tip you hear from a complete stranger, head over to our training collection How to Dial in Your Running Form, racing, out of your stride. You should also keep a tight Runner’s World+ member DAA Industry Opt Out lengthen my stride to Why Am I Not Getting Any Faster.
Become A Stronger Runner With These Exclusive Training Programs
Ashley is Editor of Content Hype at Hearst’s Enthusiast & Wellness Group. She is a former collegiate runner at UNC Asheville where she studied mass communication. Ashley loves all things running; she has raced two marathons, plus has covered some of the sport’s top events in her career, including the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials and multiple World Marathon Majors.
